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Friday, July 21, 2017

All Signs Point to Murder by Connie di Marco - $20 Amazon/BN GC

BLURB:

The stars predict
a wedding-day disaster, but San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti never
expected murder

Julia
Bonatti is alarmed by the astrological signs looming over Geneva Leary’s
wedding day, but nobody asked Julia’s opinion and being a bridesmaid means
supporting the bride no matter what. Even with the foreboding Moon-Mars-Pluto
lineup in the heavens, no one’s prepared for the catastrophes that strike: a
no-show sister, a passed-out wedding planner, and a lethal shooting in the dead
of night.

With
anger and grief threatening to tear the Leary family part, Julia is determined
to understand how such a terrible tragedy could occur. As she digs deeper into
the family’s secrets, her astrological insights will lead her to the truth
about a criminal enterprise that stretches far beyond the California coast.

Excerpt:

The
building on Guerrero was a once proud Victorian with bow front windows. It had
since been broken up into six small units and fallen into disrepair. There was
something about this chore that made my stomach go into knots. Rummaging
through a dead woman’s possessions was bad enough, but what if I found
something that implicated Moira in a crime? Should I remove it and risk the
police finding out?

I
approached the long stairway leading to the front door. The wind had died down
and now fog danced around the streetlights. It was eerily quiet. No lights
shone from any of the windows. I climbed the cracked granite stairs to the
entrance where the weathered door stood ajar, listing slightly on its hinges. Inside,
a bare overhead light bulb cast a meager glow down the long corridor,
cannibalized from a once grand entryway. The hallway smelled of dirty cat
litter, moldy vegetables and cigarette smoke. I followed the corridor to the
end, and stopped at the last door on the right.

I
slipped the key into the lock and reached around the door jamb where I felt the
light switch. A rusting chandelier with two bulbs missing illuminated the one
large room that was both Moira’s living room and bedroom. This room housed a
collection of hand-me-downs and broken furniture, ripped curtains and piles of
clothing in various spots around the floor.

I
heaved up the mattress, first on one side and then the other, making sure
nothing was hidden between it and the box spring. I pulled open each of the
bureau drawers, checked their contents and pulled them all the way out to make
sure nothing was behind them. I opened a small drawer in the bedside stand. Amid
a loose pile of clutter was a dark blue velvet box embossed with the letter “R”
in cursive gold script. Could this be from Rochecault? I was fairly certain it
was. Rochecault is an infamously expensive jeweler on Maiden Lane downtown. How
could Moira have shopped there?

I
opened the box and gasped. An amazing bracelet heavy with blue stones in
varying colors rested inside. The setting had the slightly matte industrial
sheen of platinum. Moira couldn’t possibly have afforded this. Shoving the box
into a side pocket of my purse, I decided I was definitely not leaving this for
the police to find, and slid the drawer shut.

I
scanned the room. Moira hadn’t been much of a housekeeper and it didn’t appear
as if there were many hiding spots. My eye caught a small black notebook under
a jumble of papers and unopened bills on a rickety desk. I dropped my purse on
the floor and reached for the book. A searing pain shot through my skull. Blinded,
I fell to the floor.

Connie
di Marco is the author of the Zodiac Mysteries from Midnight Ink, featuring San
Francisco astrologer, Julia Bonatti, who never thought murder would be part of
her practice. Book 2 in the Zodiac Mysteries is All Signs Point to Murder, to
be released on August 8, 2017.

Writing
as Connie Archer, she is also the national bestselling author of the Soup
Lover’s Mysteries from Penguin Random House (Berkley Prime Crime), set in the
village of Snowflake, Vermont. Her recently released A Clue in the Stew is the
fifth in this series. Some of her favorite recipes can also be found in The
Cozy Cookbook and The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook.

Connie
is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America and
Sisters in Crime.

Hi Peggy ~ I'm definitely not a "pantser" as they say. I've tried doing things that way, and it has its benefits, but when I was writing my first series, the Soup Lovers' Mysteries, my editor required an outline, rather than a synopsis. I found it a little difficult to do at first, but I realized that working that way saved so much time and confusion that it was worth it. Now I really like to outline. I feel like a have a roadmap. Best of luck to you!

I think any writer who takes me on a journey with a wonderful story. Tana French is certainly one, so is Ann Cleeves, and I recently read The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne, which I highly recommend. Best of luck, Bernie!

Hi Marilyn ~ thanks for visiting! It was always a hobby or at least a great interest for me. I was introduced to it many years ago by a woman who was an amateur astrologer and was looking for people to practice on. I was amazed when her predictions came true and just had to learn more about it. I don't have much time these days to read or investigate charts, but when I thought of this series, I knew I wanted my protagonist to have an unusual profession, and astrology seemed to fit the bill. Hope you enjoy Julia's next adventure very soon!

About Me

B. L. Blair writes romance and romance/mystery stories.Like most authors, she has been writing most of her life and has dozens
of books started.She just needs the
time to finish them.

She is the author of the
Holton Romance Series, the Leah Norwood Mysteries, and the Lost and Found Pets Novellas.She loves reading
books, writing books, and traveling wherever and as often as time and money
allows.She is currently working on her
latest book set in Texas, where she lives with her family.